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23 Oct 2017 Phobos and High Flight (poem by John Gillespie Magee Jr.)

Hello to you. It’s Monday here again and quite chilly and for those who know me, you know I am loving that! Really starting to feel like fall.

Yesterday afternoon I went out and did my last drawing of the day and it turned out to be one of those, “What the hell is this?!” At first I thought it was going to be a face as I started with pink chalk, then a pumpkin as shades of orange came in and then it became this.

22 Oct 2017 5pm – Drawing I did yesterday afternoon and wasn’t sure what the heck it was supposed to be. Knew it had to do with energy somehow.

Then this morning I checked the news and saw this interesting article about Mars’ Moon Phobos. I don’t know if you can see it, but I can see a bit of a resemblance to the picture of Phobos. Reading the article and seeing Phobos helped me solve the riddle of this drawing. Thank you Samantha Mathewson and Space.com! If you look, there are energy waves emanating from this object and it is also surrounded by energy particles. The pink flares coming out of either end are energy too.

Source Internet: A photo of Mars’ moon Phobos, taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

NASA has set its sights on the Martian moon Phobos as a potential initial base for human exploration of the Red Planet — but powerful solar eruptions could throw a wrench in this plan.

A new NASA study shows that solar wind — the stream of electrically charged particles that the sun blows out into space — creates a complex electrical environment on Phobos, which could possibly affect astronauts and any scientific equipment brought to the irregularly shaped moon in future missions.

“We found that astronauts or rovers could accumulate significant electric charges when traversing the night side of Phobos — the side facing Mars during the Martian day,” William Farrell, lead author of the study from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. “While we don’t expect these charges to be large enough to injure an astronaut, they are potentially large enough to affect sensitive equipment, so we would need to design spacesuits and equipment that minimizes any charging hazard.” [Moons of Mars: Amazing Photos of Phobos and Deimos]

In theory, astronauts would travel to Phobos and remotely operate robots on the Martian surface, reducing the considerable time delay faced by Earth-based operators. NASA has considered Phobos as a possible initial base because its weak gravity makes it easier to land spacecraft, astronauts and supplies, according to the statement.

A photo of Mars’ moon Phobos, taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Phobos orbits incredibly close to Mars, and since it has no atmosphere and no magnetosphere it plows directly through streams of solar wind and absorbs the electrically charged particles on its dayside. This, in turn, leaves a void over its nightside. As a result, negatively charged electrons from the solar wind fill this void and statically charge the moon’s nightside. This same effect also occurs in other large shadowed areas on Phobos, such as Stickney crater, according to the study, which was published Oct. 3 in the journal Advances in Space Research.

“We found that excess charge builds up in these regions during all solar wind conditions, but the charging effect was especially severe in the wake of solar eruptions like coronal mass ejections, which are dense, fast gusts of solar wind,” Farrell said in the statement.

For the study, the researchers modeled the flow of the solar wind around Phobos, revealing that the buildup of static charge on the nightside and in shadowed regions can reach 10,000 volts in some materials, such as the Teflon suits worn by astronauts during the Apollo lunar missions, according to the statement.

Therefore, astronauts and rovers traversing these areas on Phobos could build up significant electric charges. For example, friction created by astronauts walking across the nightside surface could transfer charge from the dust and rock to their spacesuits. Then, when the astronaut touches something conductive, like a piece of equipment, it could release the charge — similar to static shock experienced after walking across a rug and then touching a metal doorknob.

Previous studies have shown that the same charging effect occurs in large shadowed craters in the north and south poles of Earth’s moon. However, Earth itself has an atmosphere and a magnetosphere that defends against the effects of solar wind.

I found this poem in the poetry book I bought after I shared my drawings yesterday and wanted to share it with you. It fits perfectly and aptly describes what it’s like for me sometimes when I am outside!

22 Oct 2017 – first drawing this morning after the morning sun dried the rain. Sometimes on mornings such as this one was, I feel like a bird with the wind in my feathers and like the large birds, fly next to and listen to the clouds as they pass by.

Favorite Poems Old and New Selected by Helen Ferris Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard, page 203

Thank you for the reminder of this beautiful poem. Your top picture reminds me of a Portuguese Man of War, 1000’s of which have washed up on our shores recently but I have seen only photos so far. I will try to find some later in the week when my cold is better. 🙂

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The best symbol to identify me is like the tattoo I have of a chameleon. The best way to understand my spirituality is to take in the beauty of any tree. Everything I need to know about birth, life, death and immortality can be summed up in the life of a tree! I am a creator. If I can figure out a way to make something I see with my own hands I do it. I love to do anything creative - wire bending, writing, drawing, singing, crocheting blankets, photography. I am a very spiritual person...not religious. Mother Nature and all of her creation are my church and spending time outside with her is my greatest therapy. Walking, meditating, praying and doing Tai Chi/interpretive dance in nature is how I pray. My life is an expression of life with the God of my understanding. My God is the energy that made all that is and continues to sustain it.
Some of my mottos: Everything I've ever been through whether it be good or bad has been for a reason. It is my responsibility, when given the opportunity, to share my experience, strength and hope with others who are facing what I've been through. I try to Lead by Example! Life for me is not about quantity, it's about quality. Money is only energy....not life. I feel if one person is positively affected by my writing here....my mission has been accomplished....one tells one....and so on. In the beginning and the end of life all that will ever be meaningfully remembered about you is one thing....Love. Loved and Be Loved.